


This is What Happens When I Don't Have You

by ohheykat



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Sickfic, TW: Vomit, im sad and yall are getting fluff, tw: doctors, tw: slight needle? kinda. i mention fingers pricks thats about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 20:03:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19302853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohheykat/pseuds/ohheykat
Summary: Alyssa Greene goes a few days without her girlfriend, and everything that can go wrong does. Now Emma's home with a sick girlfriend and immediately goes into cuddle mode. Major fluff bc I was sad





	This is What Happens When I Don't Have You

Alyssa Greene was used to long weeks. They were essential to being a good businesswoman, at least that’s what her mother had drilled into her head. The truth was, she hated long weeks, but none more so than this one. Emma had taken a trip back to Edgewater to take pictures for her photography class and catch up with Betsy, so Alyssa had spent most of the week alone. This wouldn’t be so bad, in fact, Alyssa usually liked the quiet time to think, but four days without her girlfriend was beginning to feel like four years.

It had started on Monday. Emma had given her a quick kiss goodbye before she left for class, promising that she would be back before her girlfriend went to bed on Thursday evening. “Take some Tylenol before you leave for class,” she reminded her as she grabbed her jacket. “Just in case that headache from last night comes back.”

Alyssa told her she would, and she did, but that didn’t stop the headache from creeping back upon her in the middle of class. _Whatever, I’ll just take more when I get home,_ she thought to herself, hoping that she could keep her eyes open long enough to get through her professor’s lecture.

By the time she actually did return home that night, she found herself overcome with chills, so she slipped on one of Emma’s hoodies and took some more Tylenol. She didn’t care what the thermometer told her, 100 was only a low-grade fever, and she had a test in the morning that she couldn’t afford to miss.

Tuesday was bearable, at least, but Wednesday… Wednesday had some issues. Alyssa woke up with chills so bad that her entire body shook, even after layering herself with two sweatshirts. Thanking god that she only had one class that day, she decided to push through and try to make herself be a productive member of society. She still went to class, though it felt like the arctic, promising herself that when she got home she would take some more Tylenol and things would be fine.

Except, there was no Tylenol left, her car wouldn’t start when she tried to go pick up more, and now it was raining. _Great._ She knew she shouldn’t be out in the rain, but it was only a light drizzle, and the pharmacy was only a couple of blocks away. _Fuck it_ she thought, before grabbing an umbrella and starting her trek.

Getting the medicine wasn’t the hard part, it was the walk back. The rain had picked up, as well as the wind, and Alyssa found herself struggling to hold onto her umbrella as she tried to make it back to her dorm. The way the wind was flinging it around, it really wasn’t doing her much good. By the time she actually reached her dorm, she was soaked, chilled to the bone, and intent on getting into bed as quickly as possible. She didn’t care that she hadn’t eaten all day or that she had a weird feeling in her stomach, she just wanted to sleep.

It felt like she blinked, and her alarm was suddenly going off. Thursdays were the worst days for her, with an eight a.m. to start it and three other classes to follow it that day. The only thing getting her through was the fact that by the time she got home Emma would be there. God, she missed her Emma.

The classes seemed to drag on forever. Her head only perked up once, and that was during her fourth class when her phone buzzed, and she looked down to see Emma’s contact on her screen. _Finally home! I’m gonna start on dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup sound good? It’s been so cold lately_

She sent a quick text back _That sounds absolutely amazing, see you soon_ before putting her phone back down. Looking at the clock, she sighed to herself. One hour left, she could do this.

The class’s end finally came, and she practically burst into a sprint to get to her car. Well, less of a sprint and more of a I’m-trying-my-best-but-I’m-sick jog. She could almost feel the warmth of her girlfriend’s embrace as she started up the stairs, barely paying attention to each step as she went. Which wasn’t the smartest ideas, considering she was still burning up with a fever so badly that it made her slightly dizzy. 

Of course, she didn’t realize this until she fell.

It wasn’t bad, she didn’t go comically tumbling down the stairs as you would see in the movies, but it did leave her with a twisted ankle that throbbed as she climbed the rest of the stairs. Finally, she made it to the dorm, pulling out her keys so she could get in. As soon as she opened the door she saw Emma, stirring something in a pot at the stove. “Hey baby,” she greets, stepping away from the stove before pulling her in for a hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Shit, when did her voice get so hoarse?

Emma doesn’t seem to notice, instead, she pulls away and goes back to the stove. “I’m just about to start the sandwiches,” she promises. “Wanna go pick out a movie on Netflix? I figured we could watch while we ate. You don’t have class tomorrow right?”

Alyssa shakes her head, before limping over to the couch. Emma doesn’t comment on it, and she curls in on herself as she scrolls through Netflix. Eventually, she settles on _Wine Country_ just as Emma walks in with a tray. Alyssa tries to eat, but as soon as she bites into her food she feels her stomach turn. Emma’s finished with everything before she can even finish her sandwich, which finally gets the blond’s attention. “Not hungry?” she guesses.

“I ate a big lunch,” Alyssa lies. Emma’s so tired from her trip, and she doesn’t want her to have to stress over her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, honey,” she takes the tray and puts everything up in the kitchen before coming back to sit next to her girlfriend.

Alyssa immediately cuddles close to her but makes a distraught noise as she shifts her ankle. “‘Lys?” Emma asks, her voice laced with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Alyssa shakes her head, which admittedly was a bad idea because it only made her head hurt more. “Just stretched the wrong way.”

“Don’t lie,” Emma knows something is up now.

“I just… I twisted my ankle running up the stairs today. It’s not a big deal.”

“Let me see.”

“Em, really, it’s-”

_”Let me see.”_

Alyssa sighs and shifts so that Emma can see her ankle. “‘Lys,” she frowns. “This doesn’t look good at all. It’s swelling.”

“I’m fine,” she shakes her head. “It’s just twisted. Everything will be okay.”

Emma doesn’t argue with her but protectively puts her arm around her. Alyssa snuggles close to her, sighing contently as she closes her eyes. It doesn’t take long for sleep to overcome her, and she finally feels relaxed enough to let it.

“Baby,” it feels like it’s only been a few seconds when Emma calls to her.

“Wha-?” she looks around to find that she’s lying on the couch now, her head in Emma’s lap. “What time is it?”

“Nearly eight,” Emma responds, continuing to run her fingers through her hair. “The movie just finished up. Are you feeling okay? You feel really warm.”

_No,_ she wants to say. _My head is throbbing, my stomach feels like there’s an alien attacking me, and I’m so cold that I could probably be in the North Pole right now._ Except she doesn’t say any of that, she just bursts into tears.

Emma knows it has to be bad then because Alyssa never cries. Mrs. Greene had it drilled into her head since she was a child that crying was a sign of weakness, so Alyssa simply never did. “Oh baby,” Emma frowns, gently placing her hand on her forehead. “Okay, we need to check that temperature asap, you’re burning up.”

Alyssa doesn’t argue when Emma gets up and brings back a thermometer, quickly slipping it under her tongue before she can protest. She sighs at the numbers glaring back at her, running a comforting hand through Alyssa’s hair. “Baby, how long have you been sick?”

“Not long,” she lies, finally opening her eyes to look at her girlfriend.

“Uh-huh, and this 103 fever, it just magically came out of nowhere?”

“Okay, so a couple of days. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It kind of is,” Emma shakes her head. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Alyssa averts her eyes, not wanting to make eye contact. “You were busy.”

“Baby,” Emma softens, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “I am never too busy for you, alright? When these things happen I need you to tell me.”

Alyssa nods slightly, wincing at the pain in her head. Emma frowns, rubbing her temples gently in an attempt to ease the pain. “Are you ready to go to bed baby girl?” she asks softly.

Alyssa mumbles out a yes, so Emma helps her up and they carefully make their way into the bedroom. The brunette is already in sweats and a t-shirt, so she goes ahead and lies down while Emma changes into her own pajamas. “‘Lys,” she coos as the shorter curls immediately curls into her side. “We need to get some medicine in you.”

“There’s Tylenol in the cabinet,” she coughs. “I bought some yesterday. I got fucking soaked.”

“Oh honey,” Emma frowns but gets up to get the medicine. “Alright, take two of these and then I’m calling Dr. Matthews to get you an appointment tomorrow.”

“No,” Alyssa whines, drawing out the ‘o’. “Why do I have to go to the doctor? Can’t we just lay in bed and cuddle all day?”

“Not with a fever that high we can’t,” Emma responds, handing her the medicine, but Alyssa refuses. “‘Lys. Take your meds.”

“No,” she crosses her arms, closing her eyes tightly like a small child. “Not until you say we don’t have to go to the doctor.”

“Alyssa,” Emma’s frown deepens. “We don’t have time to play this game.”

“Then tell me I don’t have to go to the doctor.”

“Alyssa,” Emma’s voice wavers, and Alyssa finally opens her eyes to see the tears in her girlfriend’s. “Please. That fever is too high, it scares me and I don’t- I don’t want to lose you.”

Alyssa’s eyes widen as her lip quivers, and tears begin to run down her face. “I- I’m gonna go to the store for a minute and get some stuff. I’ll be right back.”

She’s out the door so fast that Alyssa almost thinks she’s imagined the whole thing. Alyssa takes the medicine and curls up in her bed, a pit of loneliness sitting in her stomach. She hears the door open a few minutes later, and Emma walks back in with a few Gatorade bottles, some saltines, and a fuzzy blanket. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, sitting on the bed with Alyssa. “I overreacted. I just…”

“Are you okay?” Alyssa sits up a little, resting on the headboard.

“God, I should be asking you that,” tears trickle down her face again.

“Hey, hey,” Alyssa moves closer to her, pulling her so that her head is resting on her shoulder. “Talk to me.”

“Did you ever meet my grandfather?”

“No, I don’t think I did. We were in middle school when he passed away, weren’t we?”

“Yeah, we were,” she sniffles. “He got the flu really bad, Grandma said his heart just couldn’t handle the fever. It spiked one night and…”

She trails off, refusing to finish her sentence. Alyssa pulls her close to her, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll go to the doctor,” she says after a minute. “But you have to go with me. I’m kind of… I’m kind of afraid of them.”

“Okay deal,” Emma sits up, moving some of Alyssa’s hair behind her ear. “You ready to get some sleep?”

Alyssa nods, switching so that she is now lying on Emma’s chest. Emma sighs contently, moving so that they’re both lying down. She looks down at Alyssa, who has already begun to snore softly. For that moment, there is nothing else in the world but the beautiful girl in her arms. 

…

“What if they have to do the finger prick thing?”

“You’re going to be fine,” Emma coos softly, running her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair. “I promise.”

“I feel so shitty,” she mumbles, burying her face in Emma’s shoulder.

“I know baby,” Emma kisses her head. “Once we finish up here I promise we’ll go home and put on some of those awful romcoms you love so much.”

“You secretly love those, I just know it.”

“I think that fever is making you delirious.”

Alyssa giggles, looking up to find her girlfriend staring back at her. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Emma kisses her forehead, just as a nurse calls Alyssa’s name.

The two of them walk back into the office, where they check her vitals. Her fever had gone down a little since the night before, but Emma’s pretty sure it’s only because of the Tylenol she had taken earlier that morning. By the time the actual doctor came in, Alyssa has already curled up on the table, her eyes falling heavily.

“What do we have here?” the younger doctor asks.

“I’m dying,” Alyssa moans, making her chuckle.

“She’s not dying,” Emma rolls her eyes, carefully running her fingers through Alyssa’s tangled hair. “At least I think she isn’t. She’s being dramatic.”

“Understandable with that nasty fever I saw on your chart,” she shakes Emma’s hand. “I’m Dr. Michaels. You must be the girlfriend?”

“Yes, Emma,” she smiles. 

“Nice to meet you. Now, Ms. Alyssa, let’s talk about these symptoms, and we’ll see what I can do to help fix them.”

When the appointment is over, there’s a pretty clear diagnosis: the flu. Dr. Michaels prescribes some better fever reducers and pain killers, but Alyssa basically has to let the virus run its course. Emma grabs the medicine from the pharmacy while the brunette wanders the aisles, finding her favorite popsicles in the ice cream section. “Please, please, please!” she begs as she brings them to her girlfriend.

“‘Lys I love you, but why on earth do you need popsicles?”

“My throat hurts.”

“I distinctly remember that not being one of the symptoms you listed for Dr. Michaels.”

“Well, now it hurts.”

“God you’re so needy,” Emma teases, kissing the top of her head. “Of course we can get popsicles. Do you want anything else before I pay for this?”

“Chocolate?”

“You don’t even like chocolate.”

“I don’t like plain chocolate!” she counters as she drags Emma to the candy aisle. “But I do like Snicker bars. Pretty please?”

“Grab what you want,” Emma smiles as she shakes her head.

“Sorry, I’m probably being really annoying,” Alyssa stops suddenly, and Emma watches as she suddenly stares at the ground. 

“Hey, hey,” she tilts her chin so the girl looks up at her. “You’re not being annoying. Honestly, I think it’s really adorable.”  
Alyssa gives her a small smile, and Emma kisses her forehead again. She frowns as she pulls back, and wraps an arm around Alyssa’s waist. “Okay, let’s get this stuff so we can get you to bed and get that medicine in you.”

Her girlfriend nods into her chest, and Emma walks with her up to the counter. They get her prescription before paying for the other items, then climb back into the car. Alyssa shuts her eyes tightly and leans her head on the window, trying to get any of the coolness out of it. Emma frowns sympathetically, rubbing her back before pulling out of the parking space. All she wants is to get her girl home and into bed.

By the time they get home, Alyssa is nearly asleep, and it breaks Emma’s heart to have to wake her up to get her inside. She immediately collapses onto the couch with a dramatic flop, and Emma chuckles a little. “Your bed would be more comfortable baby girl.”

“Too far,” she mumbles.

“Okay,” Emma lays a hand on her forehead, frowning. “But can you sit up for a second? You need to take this medicine before you fall asleep.”

Begrudgingly, Alyssa sits up as Emma hands her the pills and a bottle of Gatorade. Immediately after she lays back down on the couch, curling in on herself as she begins to flip through Netflix. “Emmy come cuddle with me,” she whines, annoyed that she can’t seem to find anything she likes. 

“I’ll be there in a second baby girl.”

She groans dramatically, continuing to scroll until Emma enters the room. When she looks up she sees the blond holding out a popsicle and a blanket, smiling softly. “Wanna fix that sore throat?”

Alyssa sits up and reaches out for the popsicle, and Emma smiles as she takes it. She wraps the blanket around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm while she shivers. By the time she’s finished with the popsicle, she’s shivering so badly that it almost makes Emma afraid. “Come here,” she opens her arms, and she finds herself attacked with a mop of messy brown hair. “Oh baby, we need to get you into bed so you can get some proper rest.”

“I don’t want to move,” she says, and she sounds so tired that Emma doesn’t want to argue.

“Okay,” she sighs, thinking about their options. “Are you comfortable enough to sleep here?”

“As long as you stay with me,” she looks up, and it’s then that Emma notices the tears in her eyes. “You’re not going to leave me right?”

“Baby, I’m not going anywhere,” Emma shakes her head, planting a small kiss to her hair. “I just want to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible so you can sleep off that fever. I know it’s making you miserable.”

“It is,” Alyssa admits, burying her face back into Emma’s shirt. “God everything hurts.”

“I’m sorry baby,” Emma rubs her back, feeling her relax in her arms. “Why don’t we watch that movie you like so much? The one about the kids who fake date and fall in love?”

“ _To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,_ ” Alyssa smiles happily. “Yeah, I wanna watch that.”

“Sounds like a book I read once,” Emma laughs a little.

“What book?”

“ _I’m Praying But Don’t See the Signs,_ ” she responds, playing with Alyssa’s hair mindlessly. “It was about fake dating too, but they were in college and both girls. It’s really cute honestly. The characters kinda reminded me of us.”

“That’s adorable,” Alyssa smiles contently, and both of the girls finally begin to unwind on the couch. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Alyssa falls asleep, soft snores escaping her lips as Emma runs her fingers through her hair, occasionally placing a kiss on the top of her head. Once she knows the younger girl is fast asleep, she carefully untangles herself from her arms, before gently laying her head down on one of the pillows on the couch. She walks into the kitchen and begins making soup, which she knows is the only thing Alyssa will eat when her stomach feels weird. By the time it’s finished and she goes into the living room to get her girlfriend she finds that Alyssa is no longer lying on the couch. “‘Lys?” she calls out, but then she hears the dreaded sound from the bathroom.

Knocking softly on the door, Emma hears her girlfriend mumble a pained “come in.” She opens it to find the young girl lying on the floor, arms wrapped around her stomach. “Oh baby,” she sighs, taking her into her arms.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles softly, the weakness in her voice shattering Emma’s heart into a thousand pieces.

“You don't need to apologize for a single thing,” she says softly, kissing the top of her head while she grabs a washcloth out of their tub. “Do you feel any better now?”

“A little bit,” she admits as Emma wipes her face down.

“Yeah? Do you think you feel okay enough to stand up?”

Alyssa nods so Emma helps her up, leading her towards the bedroom. “Let’s get you into your real bed this time.”

Nodding again, Alyssa lets her lead her into the room before lying her down, covering her with their comforter as she begins to shake again. Emma dips the washcloth into some more cold water and lays it across her forehead, which makes her freeze for a second before relaxing again. The blond runs back to the kitchen to put the soup away, there’s no way that Alyssa wants to eat right now. She comes back in with a trash can, the extra fluffy blanket she had been using on the couch earlier, and her stuffed sloth. “David!” Alyssa squeals, immediately reaching out for him. 

“I got them just for you,” Emma smiles, handing them over before climbing into bed next to her. 

“Can we cuddle and watch another movie?”

“We can do whatever you want,” Emma kisses her nose. “What movie now?”

“ _Grease,_ ” Alyssa responds immediately. “I need some good old romance.”

“You know I read a book like that too, but it had lesbians instead of straights.”

“Do you have a gay version of all of these movies I like?”

“I don’t yet, but I probably will soon.”

Alyssa laughs. “What was that one called?”

“ _They Think Our Love is a Growing Pain,_ ” she says. “It’s honestly probably my favorite book right now. The characters are so much like us that it’s scary.”

Alyssa smiles. “You’re so cute when you talk about books.”

Emma blushes scarlet red, and Alyssa buries her face in her shirt. They don’t say anything more as Emma turns on the movie, but there’s an unspoken _I love you_ as they snuggle closer to each other, finding comfort only in the other. Things might not be perfect right now, but neither of them would trade that moment for the world.


End file.
